This year, locusts have spread across an area of 524,900 hectares in Uzbekistan, with more than 515,000 hectares already treated with chemicals. In several regions, the outbreaks were completely eliminated.
Monitoring and chemical treatment against locusts are ongoing in Uzbekistan, the Agency for Quarantine and Plant Protection said.
To date, pest population monitoring was carried out across 885,900 hectares. Locust infestations were detected on 524,900 hectares, of which 515,800 hectares have already underwent chemical treatment.
The primary response operations are being conducted in Karakalpakstan, as well as Jizzakh, Syrdarya, Andijan, Navoi and Tashkent regions. In these areas, specialists are using chemical agents to combat the saxaul humpbacked locust.
Meanwhile, major infestation hotspots in Kashkadarya, Surkhandarya, Samarkand, Namangan, Fergana, Khorezm and Bukhara regions have successfully been eradicated.
According to the agency, the Locust and Mulberry Moth Control Service is operating around the clock. Chemical treatment is mainly carried out during early morning and evening hours, while monitoring takes place during the day.
Residents are encouraged to report pest infestation or request assistance by calling 1288 or (71) 202−10−00. All preparations and chemical works are provided free of charge.
The agency forecasts that in 2025, locusts could spread across more than 608,000 hectares of land in Uzbekistan.
Locust in one of residential buildings in Tashkent. Photo by Shuhrat Latipov, Gazeta.
Previously, the Agency for Quarantine and Plant Protection responded to public concerns about an increase in locust sightings in Tashkent. It clarified that control measures targeted only gregarious species that pose a threat to agriculture. The locusts observed in the capital do not belong to these gregarious types. Measures are only taken when their population exceeds 10 individuals per square meter.
“Using chemical treatment when fewer locusts are present is both ecologically harmful and unnecessary, given that there is biological chain and natural „eaters“ of locusts — birds, other insect species and amphibians,” agency press secretary Sabina Sadinova said.
Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan plan to coordinate their locust control efforts. The three countries aim to track locust movements in border regions, implement international phytosanitary standards and improve information sharing through a dedicated system.